Viral Canadian Sign Warns Commuters Against Letting Moose Lick Their Cars

Of all of the advice that one might hear, one warning from Canadian officials might just be the most unexpected — and serious — advice yet. Officials in Jasper, Alberta Canada have put up signs warning motorists to not allow moose to lick their cars. It turns out that, moose licking cars could lead the animals to no longer fear vehicles, creating a dangerous situation along roadways for both the moose and drivers alike.

The reason for moose wanting to lick cars is actually pretty straightforward. The moose are licking cars to get the salt from road treatments off of the vehicles.

“They’re obsessed with salt, it’s one of the things they need for the minerals in their body,” Jasper National Park spokesman Steve Young told CNN. “They usually get it from salt lakes in the park, but now they realized they can also get road salt that splashes onto cars.”

While one might assume that a moose licking the salt from a car while its parked might not seem like a terrible thing, it turns out that the motorists are actually parked along the side of a road in an attempt to get a glimpse of the creatures and it’s that proximity to a roadway that causes issues as the moose end up unafraid of the vehicles even when they are in motion.

“Moose and cars are not a good mix,” Young explained. “If you hit the moose with your car, you take the legs out from under it and it’s going through your windshield.”

The signs advising motorists to not allow moose to lick their cars have been a bit of a hit on Twitter, with many people weighing in about the situation, with even The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood sharing the information and declaring “You need to know this!”

Young advises that motorists who find themselves dealing with a moose approaching their car is to drive away and emphasized that people should stay inside their vehicles as moose don’t run away when humans approach. Instead, they could stand their ground or even charge should they feel threatened in the situation. But as for why more moose seem to be out lately, Young explained that it has to do with a change in the wolf population.

“We’ve been seeing a lot more moose lately. The wolf population is decreasing, which means there’s fewer predators and the moose population is going up as a result,” Young said. “This also means people need to be respectful and give them space.”

It’s also worth nothing that this problem isn’t isolated to Canada. According to Snopes, similar warnings have been issued in the past near Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

What do you think about the moose warning? Let us know in the comments.

Photo: JULIEN BESSET/AFP via Getty Images